Epilepsies are chronic neurological disorders in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally and cause seizures. Epilepsy can be considered as a spectrum disorder because of its different causes, different seizure types, its ability to vary in severity and impact from person to person, and its range of co-existing conditions. About 2.3 million adults and more than 450,000 children and adolescents in the United States currently live with epilepsy. Each year, an estimated 150,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy. Epilepsy affects both males and females of all races, ethnic backgrounds, and ages. In the United States alone, the annual costs associated with the epilepsies are estimated to be $15.5 billion in direct medical expenses and lost or reduced earnings and productivity (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/detail_epilepsy.htm#1927231 09. Accessed Sep. 7 2015).
Despite the rapid expansion in the number and type of anticonvulsant drugs over the past two decades, the development of new anticonvulsants for refractory epilepsy is hampered by a lack of knowledge of physiological events that induce different seizure types. Furthermore, ˜20-30% of patients are reported to suffer from refractory epilepsy, despite trying several medications, and an estimated 0.7-1.1 million patients with epilepsy across the seven major pharmaceutical markets (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Japan) are currently inadequately treated (Charlotte Mackey (2010). The anticonvulsants market. Nat Rev Drug Discov 9:265-266.).
Process of synthesis of 4R,5S-enantiomer of 2-(5S-Methyl-2-oxo-4R-phenyl-pyrrolidin-1-yl)-acetamide and its nootropic and cognition function enhancing properties has been described in EP2496555 (B1) (GRINDEKS JSC; 28 Aug. 2013).